Universal Music Publishing Group has acquired Sting’s entire song catalog, which includes rock classics from The Police frontman like “Roxanne,” “Every Breath You Take” and “Message in a Bottle.”
Financial terms of the deal with part of Vivendi’s Universal Music Group were not disclosed. But the agreement encompasses copyrights spanning Sting’s career, the music major said, to unite his song catalog with his recorded music catalog under the Universal Music Group banner.
UMG has been Sting’s label home for his entire career through A&M, Interscope and Cherrytree Records.
“I could never have imagined that someday I would get to lead a company that will be the guardian of Sting’s remarkable songwriting legacy. Every one of us at UMPG looks forward to this work with a sense of honor, responsibility and enormous excitement about what we can achieve for his music in the future,” Jody Gerson, chairman and CEO of the Universal Music Publishing Group, said in a statement.
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Superstar artists like Bob Dylan, David Bowie’s estate and Stevie Nicks have sold their song catalogs to music labels as they in turn look to cash in on royalties, licensing, brand deals and other alternative revenue streams. British-born Sting as a singer-songwriter and co-founder of The Police rock band has sold more than 100 million albums, and as an actor has appeared in around 15 movies.
He also executive produced A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints and in 1989 starred in The Threepenny Opera on Broadway.
“I am delighted to have Jody and the team at UMPG curate and manage my song catalog. It is absolutely essential to me that my career’s body of work have a home where it is valued and respected — not only to connect with longtime fans in new ways but also to introduce my songs to new audiences, musicians and generations,” Sting said in his own statement.
